The Art of Falling Up
by XxMiseryxIsxMyxMasterxX
Summary: AkuRoku: Roxas hates his life. His parents have split up, his new school sucks, and his new house is something out of a horror movie. His world is falling apart; can a certain redhead turn it around, or is Roxas going to continue to fall?


_**The Art of Falling Up**_

I watched the world go by through the frost covered window in my mother's car, an emotionless expression on my face. I was paying little attention to my siblings' excited chatter; they had been talking for the last five hours and were starting to repeat themselves. I breathed on the cold glass, creating a thin fog on which I drew a little tear drop with my finger. The small picture faded in just a few seconds, leaving no trace that it was there to begin with. I let out a quiet sigh; yet another reminder that nothing lasts forever.

"Roxas, stop being so emo-ey!" My twin, Sora, yelled at me in his high-pitched voice, "Be happy, we're almost there!" I glared at him, he was such an idiot. Actually, everyone in this damn car was an idiot; they were all looking forward to getting to our new home, to starting a new life. But we weren't going to our new home, nor were we starting a new life. We were going to an old house in an old neighborhood containing no memories and continuing our ruined lives with the only difference being that we didn't know where we were.

Why would I be happy about that?

Our car parked in front of an old, worn down house that was painted white with black, old fashioned shutters outside the windows. The paint was peeling off and a shutter from on the upstairs windows was lying on the ground near a dead bush; the damn place was like something from a horror movie. I got out of the car first, grabbed my bag from the back of the car, and walked inside. Might as well get this over with, and I wanted first pick at my room. There was a spiral staircase leading upstairs, it's steps creaked rather loudly as I walked to the next floor. Sora could be heard, yelling for Cloud, my older brother, for him to carry him inside because he was too tired to walk.

Rolling my eyes, I walked into a large room with cracks in the plain, white walls and a circular window that took up much of the wall looking out to the back garden. Which was dead, so it wasn't much of a view. But this seemed like the biggest room, and it didn't have stupid shutter windows; I guess this was as good as I was going to get. I dumped my bag on the floor, which creaked from the weight, and walked back to the staircase before making my way to the next floor. Everything was surprisingly quiet up here, though Sora's yells could still be heard if I tried hard enough. The rooms where a lot smaller and a hell of a lot colder, to the point where I was shivering and hugging myself to keep warm. I went back downstairs to the main floor, where it was warmer, and helped my siblings unload everything from the truck. My mother had gone inside to check on some minor things in the house, leaving us to bring everything inside.

A couch nearly fell on Sora when my sister, Larxene, let go of one side randomly and it toppled back, missing my twin by a little less than an inch as it fell beside him. He refused to help after that, saying Larxene was going to be the death of him and he didn't want to work with her. She replied to this statement by smacking Sora upside the head and yelling at him to get over it, causing him to start crying and screaming for mom. Some of the neighbors could be seen peeking at us through windows, probably wondering who the hell was screaming theirs heads off at ten at night.

Great first impression, thank you Sora for making us seem like freaks.

X::.x.::X

My room was surprisingly warm even though it was the middle of November. I was wearing only boxers and could only have the sheet on top of me without getting over heated. Sora was in the room next to mine, while Cloud was above me on the next floor, and Larxene was in the room beside Cloud's, right above Sora. Mom was two levels above us, I think her room was above the storage closet outside in the hall across from Sora's room.

Sora was complaining that it was cold, but that was no surprise, he was always cold, even in July. I could hear him through the thin walls, grumbling quietly to himself that it was freezing and he needed more blankets; I just rolled my eyes. He had seven blankets, more than any of us, and yet he thought he needed more. Sorry to say, we don't _have_ anymore, and some of use actually do need our blankets thank you.

I wasn't tired yet, though it was two in the morning, and was drawing on a piece of paper I had found in a pocket in a pair of jeans I had in my bag. I wasn't really paying attention to what I was drawing, I wasn't even looking at the paper. Instead, I was staring outside the giant window, looking up at the full moon whose light shined in my room, bathing it in a blue glow. It was peaceful here, I'll admit that much. But It didn't make any difference; this wasn't my home.

My home was a small, brick house in a loud and dangerous neighborhood next to a loud skate park. It was a place filled with memories, a place of laughter and dreams. It housed a family who loved and supported each other, lifting one another up and beating down those who dared to hurt one of us. My home was were I learned to ride a bike, it was were I made my my first and only friend outside my family, it was were I would run into my father's arms when he got home from work, and he would spin me around while I laughed.

No, this place, as tranquil as it is, would never be my home. This room, though I called it mine, would never be my room. And this would never be a place to find comfort and reassurance, this would be a place that symbolizes how we're slowly crumbling to nothing as our world crashes down. My brothers, my sister, and my mother can say this is our home, but I know it's not true. They can give up what we had if they want; I'll hold on to the past. I don't care if it's over, if life can never be the same again.

In a world that crashing around me I need something to hold on to.

X::.x.::X

I woke up to the sound of laughter downstairs and a a few voices I didn't recognize. Rubbing my eyes, I pulled on a pair of baggy sweats, and walked down to the main floor. I dragged myself into the kitchen, still half asleep.

"Well, who do we have here?" I looked to my right at two boys who looked to be in their older teens, both of whom were staring at me. The one who had spoken had red hair, spiked up in a way that had an amazing resemblance to a porcupine; a smirk on his face as his emerald green eyes stared at me. The other had dirty blonde hair, styled into some kind of mullet, and ocean blue eyes. I guessed they were neighbors who had decided to come say hi, not that I really cared.

"Not really any of your business, I don't even know you..." I muttered, glaring at my Sora as he opened his mouth to scold me on how I was being rude. The redhead laughed, "True, we didn't introduce ourselves, my bad. The name's Axel, A-X-E-L, and this guy here is Demyx. D-E-M-Y-X. Got it memorized?" I blinked at Axel a few times, before shrugging, "Sure, whatever..." I turned to walk out, mumbling, 'Roxas', as I left the room. I didn't know why they needed my name, chances were I'd never speak to them again. I didn't need to know people around here, they would ignore me or make fun of me just like everyone else does. Just because someone is nice now doesn't mean a thing; I had learned that pretty early on.

I started to walk back upstairs, only to be stopped by Cloud and dragged back into the kitchen, much to my annoyance. Why the hell did I have to spend time with people who wouldn't give a damn about me in a matter of minutes?

"Roxas, be polite." Cloud let go of me, though he stood in the doorway to prevent me from running out. "I gave my name, nothing else is needed." I glared at my brother, who glared back.

"Hey kid, how old are you?" Axel asked, leaning back against the kitchen wall. I directed my glare to him before answering, "Fifteen."

"Oh, cool. We're nineteen." Good for them, I didn't care. I stood up, brushing my pants off a bit. "You look like a pedophile," I stated, before jumping out the nearest window, "glad to hear your age can fit the part." I actually heard laughter as I walked back inside and up to my room, successfully making it there this time. I laid down on my bed, closing my eyes; I was drifting off to sleep, when I heard my sister yell something incoherent, but _loud_ from her room, effectively jolting me awake.

I guess I wasn't going to be getting anymore sleep.

X::.x.::X

School started tomorrow, I figured out. I was going to a high school which was literally right behind our house. According to Sora, it was also a college, though there was a different building for those attending college. Axel and Demyx were attending their college classes there; not that I cared. Sora might already consider them friends, but I didn't. I didn't need more friends, nor did I want any.

Sora dragged me outside to the dead garden out back, saying he wanted to explore. Which was somewhat understandable, the garden was huge. I let him drag me through the dead bushes and withering trees, only vaguely listening to his happy chattering.

"Roxas, look!!" I looked towards where Sora was pointing; an old trampoline. He ran over, stopping right in front of it and started jumping up and down. "Roxas, try it out for me!! I wanna make sure it's safe!!" So I was the test dummy, joy.

"Sora, I don't really want-" "Pleeeeaaaase?" Sora whined, pouting, and I gave in. "If I die it's on your conscious." I muttered, climbing onto the metal death trap. I did a few small jumps, barely even coming off the trampoline, before asking Sora if I could get down. He just pouted, crossing his arms, and glared at me.

I think that's a no.

I jumped as I as I could, and surprisingly the trampoline held up. It didn't even creak. I jumped a few more times, doing one or two back flips, before climbing off as Sora happily jumped onto it. I went back inside, not bothering to stay outside and watch my brother.

The Linkin Park ring tone coming from my pocket caused a smile to form on my face; my father was calling. "Dad?" I walked upstairs, phone to my ear.

"Hey kiddo! Hows the new place?" "Horrible." I answered bluntly, continuing to go up the steps until I reached the highest floor. Dad laughed, "Well, you can come back here and visit me anytime you want, alright?" I nodded, "Yea, thanks dad." There was a comfortable silence for a moment or two, before my father spoke again, "I have to go to a meeting now, but I'll call you again tomorrow or Tuesday, ok? I'm a bit busy, but I'll find the time." "You don't have to," I replied quietly, walking through the halls of the thirteenth floor, "If you're busy and all then focus on your job, I'll be alright." "Roxas, I'll make time." I sighed, there was no arguing with him. But at least he cared, that was good to know. "Alright, alright... Well, I'll talk to you later then, bye dad." A quiet 'bye' was heard on the other end before the line went dead. Shoving my phone in my pocket, a smile on my face, I began to explore.

X::.x.::X

I worked on unpacking the rest of my things; I might as well be comfortable in this damn house. I pretty much made the room look the same as my old one; bookcase in the corner, posters on every wall, CD collection stacked on two wooden shelves... The only difference was how much bigger this room was from my old one, the walls and carpet were the wrongs colors, and it wasn't my room. Oh, and bloodstains were missing. But that would probably change soon enough.

"Roxas?" I stopped unpacking my pillows from a cardboard box to look at my mother, who was standing in my doorway. "Yes, mom?" She looked tired, which is understandable. She had to get up early this morning after driving for five hours yesterday, and she had to look after three kids. "I know you don't like it here-" "No, I _hate_ it here-" "But please, at least give it a chance. If you don't open up to new things-" "How is ruining my life a new thing-" "-then you won't know what you've missed and may regret it later." She ignored my interruptions, most likely used to them by now.

"I shouldn't have to change _my_ life because _you_ decided that dad wasn't good enough." "Roxas, you know that isn't-" "It's true and you know it." I hissed, not caring if I hurt her feelings; I wasn't going to be told to live a life faking happiness so _she_ could have her perfect world. She looked like she was about to say something else, but decided not too. Instead she walked off quickly, looking hurt. I knew I would be getting hell about upsetting mom from Cloud; I didn't care.

I didn't feel like unpacking anymore, my mood had been killed. I didn't know where my pocketknives had been stowed away, and there were no sharp objects within ten feet of me. Which means I had nothing to do except stare at the dark, moonless sky. So that's what I did; I sat down on the floor in front of the wide window, and stared up at the sky. At least the stars were out, they added some color to the black canvas above the houses.

"Roxas, what the hell did you tell mom?"

And so begins yet another lecture from the ruler of the world.

X::.x.::X

The school was huge, a hell of a lot bigger then where I used to go. And there were more classes, which was annoying. None of the classes I had were very interesting; I had just been shoved into any place with an open spot. Some were co-ed, with college students who weren't smart enough to be learning certain things on a college level. Which was why I was sitting in Music Class with a bunch of college students who didn't even register my existence, listening to an old man ramble on about how he used to be Elvis Presley or something else just as stupid. The sad thing was, everyone was hanging on his every word. Why the _hell_ would anyone even _care_ about something this stupid? I mean, if it was something that actual importance to music that would be understandable, but it wasn't.

My eyes wandered around the classroom, occasionally stopping on a poster or window. The room was freezing, probably from the cracks in the windows letting in cold air. No one seemed to notice that the temperature was colder in here than it is outside, either that or they didn't care. Shivering slightly, I zipped up my jacket, and hugged myself loosely. I already hated this stupid school; the rooms were freezing, the kids were jerks (I had already been shoved into a locker by some stupid jock), and everyone was an idiot, from students to teachers. If I'm forced to come to this hell hole I want to actually be _learning_ something, not listening to how some old guy thinks he's still twenty and named Elvis.

I found the clock, which I watched for the rest of class. It's not like I was missing anything important by not paying attention.

_Tick-Tock_

I had French next, probably the only class I actually _did_ want to take. At least that was something to look forward to, though It might be like this class, which means I would go insane by the end of it.

_Tick-Tock_

Actually, I would probably go insane by the end of the day _anyway_, speeding it up might not be so bad. At least then I could go to a mental institution instead of this place.

_Tick-Tock_

I would probably be shoved into another locker once class was over, though I didn't know why. Was it really that obvious that I didn't belong here?

_**RING**_

My cue to leave. I grabbed my stuff, taking my time. I wanted to leave, but I was in no hurry to be harassed. Once I walked out of the classroom, I pulled out my map, trying to find my next class. I only looked at the white paper for a moment before it was ripped out of my hands.

"New here, freak?" I didn't even know them, and I was already a freak. Joy. I didn't respond, replying with a glare instead as I reached for my map, which was yanked away quickly. "I don't think so. You can find your way around here on your own," A tall brunette boy smirked, listening to blonde speak to me, "that is, if you can get out." I was about to ask what he meant when I felt a sharp pain in my stomach and everything went dark.

The last sound I heard before falling unconscious was laughter.

--- --- ---

**A/N- I am still working on my other stories, no worries. I just had an urge to a write a story like this, so I am. I think it will be interesting, and possibly longer than the others will be, but we'll see. Reviews are loved, but not begged for. Flames are unloved but not prohibited. Rating may possibly go up, but I'm not sure yet. More than likely it won't.**

**And I just noticed, I never use disclaimers... I should probably start trying to do that.**

**So... Disclaimer: I own a keyblade, but sadly not Kingdom Hearts.**

**Thanks for reading~!**


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